News

Concours’ new home, Haub Family Field at LeMay – America’s Car Museum, will showcase high-speed watercraft September 9

Aug 30, 2012

Media Contact: PCGCampbell – Dan Smith (310) 224-4954 (dsmith@pcgcampbell.com)TACOMA, Wash. (August 30, 2012) — One of the more popular classes at past Bank Kirkland Concours d’Elegance events has featured boats of various types. That tradition will remain in place at the 2012 U.S. Bank Kirkland Concours d’Elegance at LeMay - America’s Car Museum Sunday, Sept. 9, with a featured display of vintage unlimited hydroplane racing boats.

“Vintage boats have always been a highlight at the Kirkland Concours, and have helped make the show unique,” said Scot Keller, chairman of the Kirkland Concours d’Elegance. “In maintaining the great tradition of the Kirkland Concours, we will continue to have a featured class of boats each year.”

Working with a cross-section of premier collectors, the Kirkland Concours will showcase six of the 30-feet long hydroplane racers in “dry dock” on the Concours lawn.“This will give people a different perspective of the boats,” said Keller. “Showing them in the water doesn’t allow for a good look at the hull and underside. At our event, spectators will get to see how the shape allows these machines to fly through the water at such amazing speeds.”

Some of the boats date back as far as 1946, when “Miss Tempo VI” raced around the country. Once owned and raced by bandleader Guy Lombardo, Miss Tempo VI won the 1946 Gold Cup International race in Detroit, and the 1948 Ford Memorial race, also in Detroit. According to Fred Farley – the American Boat Racing Association’s historian, Miss Tempo VI also raced to victory in the 1946, 1950 and 1951 National Sweepstakes Trophy Races in Red Bank, N.J.; the 1949 and 1950 Star Spangled Banner Regattas in Baltimore, Md., and the 1950 and 1951 Buffalo Launch Club Regattas in Grand Island, N.Y.

Now owned by longtime hydroplane racer Joe Frauenheim of Issaquah, Wash., Miss Tempo VI will be one of the boats on display Sept. 9.

“Slo-mo-shun V” ruled the water in the early 1950’s, starting when Lou Fagel raced the boat to victory in the 1951 Gold Cup, the first unlimited hydroplane race held in Seattle (in the early years of the Gold Cup race, the previous year’s Gold Cup champion selected the site for the following year’s race. It is now held annually in Detroit.).

Designed by Ted Jones and Anchor Jensen, Slo-mo-shun V was a three-point prop-rider, but the rear-planing surface had been eliminated, cutting the boat’s drag and allowing faster speeds. Now owned by Bruce McCaw, Slo-mo-shun V, which was restored in 1991, will be on display at the Kirkland Concours.

Also on display will be a boat with two names: “Miss Thriftway” and “Miss Century 21.” Under Willard Rhodes’ ownership, this piston power aircraft engine boat won three straight H1 Unlimited points championships (1960-61-62). This boat also is a four-time Gold Cup champion, winning the event in 1956, 1957, 1961 and 1962. Now owned by Barbara Carper-Nuss of Seattle, this legendary boat will also be shown at America’s Car Museum.

Since its inception in 2003, the Kirkland show has become a signature event for the Puget Sound region. A portion of the proceeds from the Kirkland Concours d’Elegance will continue to benefit Seattle Children's Hospital.

The 2012 Kirkland Concours will also feature the following automotive classes: The Cars of Nicola Bulgari; Kirkland Concours Best of Show winners; British Invasion cars; American Postwar Designs; Lamborghini; Classic Car Club of America (two classes: Early and Late); and an Antiques Class. A British Motorcycles class will also be on display.

The 3.5-acre Haub Family Field at America’s Car Museum, which held its grand opening June 2, has ample room to accommodate all of the Concours’ collectible coupes, sedans and sports cars, plus thousands of spectators. Attendees to the show will also get an opportunity to experience the America’s Car Museum.

About the U.S. Bank Kirkland Concours d’Elegance (www.kirklandconcours.com)The U.S. Bank Kirkland Concours d’Elegance, established in 2003, has become the premier Concours d’Elegance in the Pacific Northwest and one of the top five concours in the United States. The U.S. Bank Kirkland Concours d’Elegance is a charitable event benefitting the Seattle Children’s Hospital and LeMay - America’s Car Museum. The event has raised more than $1.5 million to benefit uncompensated healthcare. The Kirkland Concours d’Elegance is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, administered and produced by LeMay – America’s Car Museum, and held on the second Sunday in September.

About America’s Car Museum (www.lemaymuseum.org)State Farm Presents LeMay – America’s Car Museum, set for a June 2012 opening in downtown Tacoma, Wash., explores how the automobile has fulfilled a distinctive role at the core of the American experience and shaped our society. The spacious Museum with rotating exhibits is designed to be the centerpiece for automotive history as well as an educational center and library. The campus, located adjacent to the Tacoma Dome, also contains a 3.5-acre show field, theatre, café, banquet hall and meeting facilities. To become an ACM member, volunteer or make a donation, visit www.lemaymuseum.org.